Adrenergic blockade blunts adenosine concentration and coronary vasodilation during hypoxia.

Myocardial hypoxia is thought to be an important stimulus for increasing interstitial adenosine concentration. The adenosine hypothesis of coronary control was investigated during steady-state hypoxia by making measurements of coronary venous and epicardial well adenosine concentrations in adrenergically intact dogs and in animals with alpha- and beta-receptor blockade. In the adrenergically intact group, hypoxia sufficient to lower coronary venous oxygen tension to 8 mm Hg increased coronary blood flow 243% from normoxic values. Both coronary venous and epicardial well adenosine concentrations were increased throughout the hypoxic period. In the adrenergically blocked group, hypoxia to a similar level of coronary venous oxygen tension produced an increase in coronary blood flow of only 75%, which was significantly less than in the adrenergically intact group (p less than 0.01). Coronary venous adenosine was only transiently elevated, and epicardial well adenosine was unchanged from control levels. In a separate group of alpha- and beta-receptor-blocked animals that received an infusion of L-homocysteine thiolactone during hypoxia, there was no difference in tissue S-adenosylhomocysteine levels compared with those of normoxic controls. It is concluded that much of the coronary vasodilation associated with systemic hypoxia is dependent on adrenergic activation and that adenosine may only play a role in sustained hypoxic vasodilation when adrenergic receptors are intact.     

Differential effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met genotype on emotional recognition abilities in healthy men and women.

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism modulates executive functions and working memory and recent neuroimaging studies implicate an association with emotional processing. We examined the relationship between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and facial emotion recognition and differentiation in 100 healthy individuals. Compared to Met homozygosity, Val homozygosity was associated with better and faster recognition of negative facial expressions such as anger and sad. Our study provides evidence for a possible influence of the COMT polymorphism on emotion recognition abilities in healthy subjects. Additional research is needed to further define the neurocognitive phenotypes associated with COMT polymorphisms.     

Ein Fall von Haut-Milzbrand mit bemerkenswerthem klinischen Aussehen

Ohne Zusammenfassung Hiezu Taf. XI.     

Carcinoma ventriculi cylindrocellulare beim Haushuhn

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Malignant chiasmal glioma: a rare cause of rapid visual loss

The clinical, neuroradiological, and histological findings of an adult patient suffering from malignant optic glioma is reported. Rapid visual deterioration was misdiagnosed for several months until biopsy confirmed the tumor. The patient died despite radiation therapy nine months after first symptoms. Our presentation will focus on the problems of diagnosing and establishing therapeutic procedures in this rare malignant neoplasm.     

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease--psycho-social issues and treatment goals.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the major chronic debilitating diseases frequently seen in hospital settings. The disease appears usually after the age of fifty and often predicts a shortened life span. The present paper is a review of the literature relating to the psychological aspects of this disease. The impact on psychosocial coping and adaptation will be discussed, specifically the effects on marital and sexual functioning and the quality of life of the patient. Psycho-social treatment goals useful to the COPD patient and his family will be raised and elaborated on.     

Evidence for multiple xenogenous origins of plastids: comparison of psbA-genes with a xanthophyte sequence

Summary When only plastidic features are considered, it is difficult to distinguish between monophyletic and polyphyletic xenogenous origins of plastids. We suggest that a direct comparison of nuclear and plastidic sequence-similarity pattern will help to solve this problem. The D1 amino acid sequence of six major groups of photosynthetic eukaryotes and of the two groups of photosynthetic prokaryotes are now available, including the psbA-gene product from Bumilleriopsis filiformis, which is the first molecular sequence reported for a xanthophycean alga. Evidence is provided for an independent and polyphyletic origin of plastids from five out of the six major taxa of photosynthetic eukaryotes. This conclusion is reached by comparing a plastid-based pattern of D1 similarity with a nucleus-based similarity pattern published recently. Furthermore, the availability of D1 sequences from five eukaryotic algae led to a re-evaluation of the taxonomic position of Prochlorothrix.     

Volumetric development of the fetal telencephalon, cerebral cortex, diencephalon, and rhombencephalon including the cerebellum in man

Fresh volumes of the human telencephalon, cerebral cortex, diencephalon, and of the rhombencephalon including cerebellum were determined in a series of 10 normal specimens ranging in age from 63 to 176 days after conception. The volumetric growth of these parts shows a nonlinear dependence on age with a smaller increase during the 3d ontogenetic month and a stronger increase from the 4th month on. These data were analyzed together with previous measurements of 28 brains taken from the Yakovlev Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Vogt Collection in Düsseldorf. These brains range in age from 137 to 22,900 days after conception. These samples were reproduced in a model using sigmoid logistic functions. The entire brain and all analyzed parts show a monotonous growth. The individual regions develop heterochronously. The diencephalon is the first part to reach its ideal volume, with a main growth spurt between 100 and 420 days after conception. The rhombencephalon including the cerebellum is the last, with its main growth spurt between 240 and 650 days after conception. The growth of the entire brain is determined to a great extent by that of the telencephalon, having a main growth spurt between 175 and 580 days after conception. The prenatal growth is described separately with the asymmetric sigmoid function according to Gompertz. This yields a better approximation of the data collected from the early prenatal period.     

Akromioklavikulargelenkverletzungen

There is some controversy over the treatment of acromioclavicular injuries. The use of the Rockwood classification as the basis for decisions on whether operative or nonoperative treatment is indicated is discussed critically, and the authors' preferred operative technique is described and illustrated by examples. We treat injuries classified according to the Rockwood classification as types I and II with conservative methods. In type III injuries the patient's age, job and free time activities determine whether or not surgery is indicated. In the case of type IV or type VI injuries we always perform temporary internal fixation of the acromioclavicular joint, using transarticular K-wire fixation or hookplate osteosynthesis. Satisfactory results of both operative and nonoperative treatment are reported in the literature. The authors' own results are presented.